Off the coast of Southern California, about 22 miles, is Santa Catalina Island. The rich history of the island throughout the 1500s to today has shaped Catalina’s ownership, ecology, demography, and of course the number of visitors to the island. Since the 1880’s the idea of turning Catalina into a tourism attraction has been in the plan. The growth of tourism over the years has impacted many elements. Why and how has tourism shaped the island in ecological and economic ways?
The audience for this project is broad. It is created for anyone who wants to learn more Santa Catalina Island and tourism (it’s economic and environmental effects. Also, for people who want to hear others’ perspectives. The project is going to give insight into the island’s history and how tourism has impacted it. Tourism is experienced all around the globe, though learning more about how it affects just Catalina can lead to a better understanding of tourism as a whole. How are places affected when tourism is low or not occurring? There are many questions and answers that bounce off one another.
The decisions I made for this project are specific. The design and content allow users to easily navigate, along with including interactive features. The history of the island is important to understand the island’s present day. I included a timeline and a video, along with posts to be able to expand into further depth about the topic. Another feature that I included is audio stories from people who frequently go to the island and their perspectives. The layout, content of the site, and especially the audio stories creates a new experience that is not offered about the island. Content from other sites is mainly about history and purchasing for when tourists come.
With more time to continue this project, I would like to use the feature of allowing users to comment and post with their opinions and stories. I would also like to dive deeper into the audio stories and to be able to create an archive of them all. Santa Catalina Island is going to continue to change over the years. This site would be great to feature for future information but also a place where users can look back at the stories being told.
Generations in my family have grown up sailing over to the island. Catalina holds a special place in my heart and is filled with amazing memories. Being able to learn more about the dynamic of the island has brought me great joy and interest, and I hope one experiences some of the same feelings as they view the project. Enjoy!
Photo Credit: Kelsie Grant